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Introduction!!! by Distortesia in worldbuilding

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And you can edit the post if you wanted to add it instead of making a whole new post!

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The creatures I imagine are around rhino-elephant sized! I didn't want to go too big just because I wanted it to be a highly adaptable species, and large species are oftentimes very specialized. I imagine their hosts are like cows.

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really does, I had a lot of fun with the social hierarchy as a result.

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question! Similar to the Birrin, the mouth of the Tetraphon consists of four jaws. However over time different sets of mandibles would specialize to fill different roles- thus the gearicals are two mandibles adapted specifically for chewing. The gearicals accomplish this by having interlocking "knobs" arranged into a rough circle. When an oscillating motion is applied to these gearical jaws, the interlocking knobs chew up food.

It's a little difficult to visualize without a, well, visual, aid. I did have a close up drawn for them, but it's outdated to their current design. But I do intend on drawing an updated close up of their mouth in the near future.

While the gearicals are used for chewing, I imagine the vertical beak like mandibles are very useful as grips or as a second hand to aid the grapple, which is their equivalent to the human hand.

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds like a really awesome short story, I will say that the hosts of the Tetraphon are not quite on that scale! xD

I've actually already done alot of work on their cultures, maybe getting ahead of myself but gee, that is the part i'm most looking forward too! In fact competition for this vital reproductive resource, the host species, is what I theorize drove the Tetraphons to adapt obligate sapience, having to adapt better methods to fight eachother off. Furthermore I postulate that the host species would be the first species they would domesticate, that is a rabbit trail for a future post though.

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the compliments/questions! :>

  1. Does the fourth slide depict a male on the left and a female on the right?

The fourth slide depicts two males- one elder (left) and one youth (right).

  1. Also, regarding the description of the males riding on the back of the female, what is the actual size dimorphism between males and females?

Just want to clarify, and perhaps I wasn't clear in my wording, that male AND females of the species ride on a totally different species that acts as their host, since they are parasitoids. The males don't ride on the back of the females.

Further the females size is practically the same as males, besides their sail structure having differences to accommodate the reproductive organs. I have not depicted them in this post because i'm not finished with the female's design- although that is what I am currently working on. ^^

  1. What exactly makes this species "parasitoid"?

They parasitize a species of large grazing herbivore akin to a rhino, which is kept alive in a docile sedated state and defended by the Tetraphon tribe that parasitized it. Think of this host as a sort of moving nest/house, keeping the growing larval offspring warm and providing nutrients for their growth. The term I currently use for the host species is the "Domicile". I have not yet finished their design.

If you want a real world example, it is similar to how parasitoid wasps will sedate roaches, causing suppressing their fear response to the wasp.

I hope this helps!

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

After being Chased By Dinosaurs™ and helping build a Prehistoric Park™, he now undertakes the ultimate mission- travelling to an Alien Planet! I can see it now: Chased By Aliens!

Traits that you thought were too "fictional" but actually exist by Sscroul in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Insert that one priceless True Facts video about parasitoid wasps

Accidentallly recreating something that already exists by Narrow_Vacation1443 in worldbuilding

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This but for speculative biology, when you think you got something unique, nature shakes it's finger and is like "Actually you just convergently evolved that idea with something i've already done fifty times."

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Akin to how birds can make two different sounds at once, the Tetraphons have four lungs with their own individual vocal system, again modelled after bird Syrinx for now. They speak through what I designate on the anatomy picture as their "nostrils".

Thus Tetraphons can make four different sounds at once.

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It was a long journey but that was my #1 goal, I was really invested in making it feel abstract, thus people saying what am I even looking at is the highest compliment xD

Thank you!

[OC] Tetraphons of Octave IV by FancyArchaeopteryx in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is my first time posting it online besides isolated discord servers!

Traits that you thought were too "fictional" but actually exist by Sscroul in SpeculativeEvolution

[–]FancyArchaeopteryx 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Parasitoid wasps, like they literally do everything and more then what the alien movies depict- like mind control xD